Global Perspectives on the Definition, Assessment, and Reduction of Bias and Unfairness in Employment Testing

The use of tests and assessments in employment-related decision making has the potential to benefit organizations and individuals. However, their use is frequently criticized because of their adverse potential for bias and unfairness. Although issues pertaining to employment testing, bias, and unfairness are extensively researched and written about, previous work has predominately focused on perspectives from the United States. Therefore, the goal of this handbook is to provide a global examination of ideas and issues pertaining to bias and unfairness in employment testing. Specifically, this text details perspectives from twenty-three countries spanning six regions of the globe, on the definition, assessment, and reduction of bias and unfairness in employment testing. In doing so, this work fills a critical gap in the knowledge and information available to employment testing scholars and practitioners who conduct research and practice in an increasingly globalized world.

About the Author

Winfred Arthur, Jr. holds the John Paul Abbott Professorship in Liberal Arts and is a Professor of Psychology and Management at Texas A & M University. He has published and consulted extensively in the areas of testing, assessment, personnel selection, validation, individual differences, training, and research methods. Winfred is a Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Association for Psychological Science, and American Psychological Association.

Dennis Doverspike is President of Doverspike Consulting LLC (HR Litehouse) and Adjunct Professor at George Mason University. He has over forty years of academic experience and over forty years of experience working as a consultant to public and private sector organizations.

Benjamin D. Schulte is pursuing his Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Texas A & M University. His research interests are in the areas of testing and assessment, psychometric evaluation, personnel selection, individual differences, and training.